Melbourne Victory have shored up their A-League Men defence, signing Portuguese centre-back Roderick Miranda on a two-season deal.
Miranda, 30, most recently played for Turkish Super Lig side Gaziantep, where he made 13 appearances before becoming a free agent in July, but has played in Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, England and Greece throughout his career.
He started his career at Portuguese powerhouse Benfica and was later involved in English club Wolverhampton’s 2017-18 promotion season from the Championship to the Premier League before joining Greek giants Olympiacos.
“Roderick comes to Melbourne Victory with a great pedigree and qualities that have seen him play at the highest levels in Europe,” coach Tony Popovic said.
“He possesses the physical and technical attributes that will complement our playing style this season.”
A former Portuguese youth international, Miranda previously led his country to the 2011 under-20 World Cup final in Colombia.
Miranda is Victory’s eleventh new signing of the 2021/22 men’s pre-season and will form part of a new-look defence alongside fellow defensive signings Matt Spiranovic, Jason Geria, Jason Davidson, Brendan Hamill and goalkeeper Ivan Kelava.
“I’m very happy and excited to join this great club and can’t wait to meet the fans when I get to Melbourne,” Miranda said.
“I’ve seen that Victory has a strong history in the league and I can’t wait to experience what Australia and the A-League has to offer.”
He is expected to join his Victory teammates later this month after completing hotel quarantine.
